Showing posts with label mobile devices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mobile devices. Show all posts

Efficiency in Healthcare Services through Mobile Applications and Telemedicine

Recently my wife had minor surgery on her arm that was accompanied by an allergic reaction on her skin. She called her doctor who asked for a description. She provided, as best she could, a lay person's description. The doctor listened to the description over the phone and provided some simple recommendations. This was relatively efficient telemedicine for a non-serious situation. There was no visit required, just a couple of minutes of the Doctor's time and everything worked out fine.

It occurred to me later that we could easily have taken a quick well lighted digital photo with my iPhone and emailed the digital photo to our Doctor for review, reference and inclusion in our electronic healthcare records as well. Why not? It would likely have provided better and more accurate information. I wonder how many simple health related issues could be resolved using telemedicine and integrated digital photos sent by the patient?

We are at a transition point in the evolution of mobile technologies. The mobile technology is available and relatively inexpensive, but not yet integrated into even basic services in many cases. We need industry healthcare experts to start implementing these basic technology steps that improve efficiencies and reduce costs for both the provider and the patient.

I am reminded of a call I made to a plumber a few years back. I called and said I need a plumber to do a task. I said, I will send over a series of digital photos that show exactly what I need with measurements. The plumber said, I don't know how to receive and view digital photos. As a result, he drove out, looked at the scene I could have emailed him, left for another hour to purchase the parts and returned. He turned a quick 30 minute job into a 3 hour job with the added fuel and travel costs.

Healthcare providers need not be like the plumber. Telemedicine, digital images, and remote wireless health monitoring devices that send data to the Doctor's office at regular intervals could provide incredible efficiencies.

I would like your thoughts and comments on telemedicine and using mobile and wireless devices for providing healthcare services.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategist, Sales, Marketing and Business Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://kevinbenedict.ulitzer.com/
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Applications and Location Based Systems for Supply Chain and Inventory Management

In an article I published recently about grocery stores using LBS (location based services) on mobile devices and Smart phones, I proposed there were additional areas that large enterprises could benefit from real-time data collection, B2B integrations, business intelligence and location based services. Let's take a look at a couple of additional scenarios:

  1. 14 trucks are delivering perishable products on routes
  2. Truck #7 has a customer that has an unexpectedly high demand for a product
  3. Truck #7, using a mobile handheld computer, requests additional inventory from the SAP ERP (enterprise resource planning) software in the central office.
  4. The SAP ERP reports inventory levels on all 14 trucks based upon the real-time synchronization of data with each of the handheld barcode scanners of the trucks
  5. It is determined that truck #9 has excess inventory of the needed perishable product
  6. The GPS service in the handheld computer used by truck 9 identifies it's position and a meeting location is quickly identified so inventory can be transferred from one truck to another to enable maximum product sales
  7. The route driver for truck #7 scans the bar codes on the boxes of perishable products in truck #9 and transfer the inventory from #9 to #7 and goes on his/her way.

That is a simple mobile inventory example using GPS integration with barcode scanners. What if there was an example of products sold on consignment? Let's use pre-paid calling cards as an example:

  • The product is distributed to 500 stores
  • Some stores sell more of these products than others
  • When one store is low on these, an EDI message should be sent to the product company informing them of a need for additional inventory at a specific location
  • The product company should be able to quickly determine where additional inventory is available in other locations.
  • A representative of the product company should be able to remove excess inventory from one store to replenish another.
  • With a handheld computer that includes a barcode scanner, the product representative can check inventory back into the SAP ERP system, which removes it from one store's inventory, an EDI or B2B electronic message is sent to the stores ERP notifying them of the product's removal from inventory.
  • Next the product representative takes the excess inventory to the store that needs additional inventory, the products are scanned, using the barcode scanner and added to the local stores inventory. The barcode scanned inventory information is then synchronized to theproduct company's SAP ERP system which sends an EDI message to the store notifying them of the additional inventory at that location.

Where does LBS (location based services) fit into these scenarios? Inventory levels from various locations are constantly being uploaded via EDI/B2B and monitored. The inventory of each location, rather than being static, becomes a dynamic inventory that is able to be shifted according to local demand.

If inventories can be considered dynamic and mobile, able to be shifted according to demand, then there is the opportunity for incredible savings. Much of the guess work can be avoided as the inventory for one entire region can be moved and shifted according to demand.

I picture a scenario where a consumer can visit the website of the product manufacturer and request the location of the nearest available inventory to their moving vehicle. iPhone applications already request to use your current location. This information can be automatically passed to the product manufacturer and used to query for the nearest product location. Perhaps best prices can also be included at some point and mobile coupons.

The ROI for the distributor or manufacturer comes from avoiding loss, excess or slow moving product inventories that trap or lock-up cash flow, reduced inventory storage costs, and a reduced need to discount in order to move the products. A benefit is the ability to move product inventories to the locations where there is the most demand so sales can be maximized at the locations with the highest margins.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Expert and Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Coupons and Gambit Mobile - I Love it!

This mobile coupon concept by Subway is BRILLIANT! I found this excerpt in a press release from http://www.gambitmobileinc.com/.

Big brands such as Subway have embraced mobile coupons. The thing Subway likes the best about the mobile coupons medium is that it can reach its target audience when that audience is most likely to buy. Subway sends text messages to its opt-in database just before lunch time when workers are deciding where to go for lunch. Receive a mobile coupon and it’s almost already decided for them.

They time their mobile coupons to hit the Smart phones and other mobile devices when your stomach is growling and you are watching the clock for lunch time. I love it!

Give the customer exactly what they need, on a mobile device, exactly at the time they need it.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://b2b-bpo.blogspot.com/
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Software and Mobile Business Intelligence

Business analytics and business intelligence is one of the few hot areas in enterprise IT sales now days. In fact, SAP is shifting resources from other business groups to focus more on their Business Objects solutions. All companies, executives and managers seem to be crying for more information that they can use to make faster and better decisions. In tough economic times, information is even more critical. Take this trend and consider that over 40% of the workforce is now considered mobile and you have an emerging requirement for mobile business intelligence and analytics.

In this recent article on Mobile Business Intelligence that I authored, an example of how service companies and their field service technicians can use mobile business intelligence was detailed. The bottom line, managers and mobile employees need access to critical business intelligence and business analytics while they are out of the office with customers or on remote job locations. This information needs to be published and formatted to fit the mobile devices used by these workers so this data can be used on location where ever that may be.

Today business intelligence and business analytics applications are designed for desktops and servers connected to large databases. There is also a need for better business analytics and intelligence on the mobile device. Mobile handheld computers have become powerful hardware platforms for many data collection accessories including RFID readers, barcode scanners, GPS units, data collection applications, Bluetooth to anything applications and much more. This collected data can be considered business intelligence. Business analytics is the processing and reporting of this data and what it means to the business. This information, in a mobile format is needed just as much by mobile managers as sedentary managers.

Mobile business intelligence and business analytics is an important segment of mobile software applications that needs a lot more development and thought. Other areas of mobile applications that need additional development are detailed in these articles:
If you would like to discuss any of these topics in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://b2b-bpo.blogspot.com/
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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